Lightning includes electrical discharges within a cloud, intracloud (IC) discharges, and cloud to ground (CG) discharges. Lightning occurs when electrical fields within a cloud intensify as particles of opposite polarity collect at differing regions within the cloud. Lightning begins with a an initial electrical breakdown (pulse) followed by leader channels from which a series of channel branches grow within a cloud forming a comprehensive branch channel structure. For IC lightning, the channel structure remains within the cloud. A CG discharge occurs when one or more branches extend from a cloud to the ground.
Accurate and efficient detection of early lightning activity, particularly the weaker, initial IC discharges, is critical for advanced forecasting of severe weather phenomena such as tornadoes, damaging downburst winds, and potentially deadly cloud-to-ground lightning strikes. Integrated detection of both IC lightning and CG lightning can provide highly advanced predictive capabilities for characterizing severe storm precursors, improving lead times and comprehensive weather management planning. Numerous lightning detection systems and methods have been developed, each striving to determine the location, frequency and intensity of lightning activity with better accuracy. Examples of such systems include the U.S. Precision Lightning Network (USPLN) and the National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN).
The primary challenge existing with lightning detection is two-fold: detecting lightning activity at the earliest possible moment, and detecting the broadest possible range of lightning activity over a large area. Some systems detect only a portion of the electromagnetic frequencies associated with lightning activity, resulting in incomplete lightning strike data. Some systems conduct intensive and time-consuming processing of raw lightning data, which might delay the generation of lightning strike data and hinder the advanced notification of essential news and safety personnel. In addition, some systems consist of expensive components which limits the maximum potential distribution of said systems, leaving a gap in lightning detection coverage in certain areas.